Television Reception

[aaronbocknek]

first and foremost, find out if it can be used with a digital converter box or if your tv is a dtv, find out if it is compatable to pick up the digital signals when the dtv switch takes place in june. not all external antennas are able to pull in the dtv signal.
just a thought.
aaron

[g36]

i have gone through the same thing last fall. i didnt want to just buy an antenna and still not pick up when the digital conversion takes place. we had a boaters world here and i the only antenna they carried in the store was the seawatch 2025 it is a digital amplified antenna. i had gone around my marina and checked boats for tv antennas and only saw a few different ones including this one and the model you referenced and a couple of glomex antennas.read the internet for the "best" and the results were all over the place. i purchased the 2025 from boaters world and temporarily installed it. it worked ok (i m in a covered slip so i wanted this to also work at the dock the signal was a little weak. i thought) but when out on the lake it worked very well. i thought well if i got the larger diameter antenna the 2030 you mentioned it hopefully would do better at the dock. so i took the 2025 back to boaters world. i ordered the 2030 from defender (i think) and when i got it it didnt do as well as the 2025 i had tried earlier. so i sent it back and found the 2025 on the internet at a much better price than boaters world and re ordered it. i have it installed and has worked very well for me. i have found that the digital tuner in one of the tvs i have on board is not very sensitive and takes a stronger signal to keep the reception. since i had one of the new d/a boxes i installed it and now the reception is great on all the channels in our area even at our covered slip. the only reason i am using the box is for the 1 tv that doesnt pick up the digital signal as well as the other one. it was a cheap polaroid and i have since read others have the same issue with its tuner. so you may need to consider the tuner in your tv as a possible weakness if you get one of the amplified omnidirectionals such as the 2030 or 2025 and still have reception issues. both work with digital. anyway sorry for the long post. there may be better antennas but for me this one works perfectly.

[Stripermann2]

I have heard but not confirmed by other boaters and sites, that if you buy a converter box which turns your analog signal to digital, which was suppose to have taken effect already, that the channels and signals you receive, are crystal clear now with more channels! As Aaron mentioned.

May be worth that trip to pick-up your 35.00 box at your local store...

I have cable at my dock and don't need it when I'm on the water or the hook.

[gjrylands]

We get horrible TV reception at our marina. We basically get one channel on a clear day if you hold the antenna in your hand, stand on one foot, and put your finger in your ear.

If your in an area with poor reception, none of the antennas are going to improve the reception that much. I had a Shakespeare tv antenna on my last boat and got good reception in downtown Chicago, but when I traveled and got about 40-50 miles away the antenna didn't do much.
I now have a satalite hook up. (Direct TV) If you have it at home, you can add you boat as a summer home and pay $4.95 per month for an additional receive box. Cable and Direct TV cost about the same at home, and since I could use the Direct TV on the boat, I went that route.

[g36]

yes you will be very suprised at how well the picture looks and how many channles you may get if you install one of the digital to analog boxes on your old tv(or new in my case). these take like, no power to operate and can be run with a small invertor no problem. the zenith i am using at the time was rated to have the best tuner at the time i bought it and i can say without a doubt that it will pull in channels that some tv's wont. side by side with tvs at home and channel strength meter and channels the tv can lock onto. the convience in a boat and being able to mount the tv to the wall is nice with the new lcds. but you sure dont need to rush out and by a new tv if you have one of the boxes.

[g36]

grylands i have satellite also at the house and bring it with me when at the dock sometimes but being out and anchored overnight it would be really nice. however i havent broke down and paid the big bucks for a sat dish that would work when anchored. have you bought one? if so which?

[gjrylands]

I was forgetting about the switch to digital. That may change how the antennas work.

[gjrylands]

grylands i have satellite also at the house and bring it with me when at the dock sometimes but being out and anchored overnight it would be really nice. however i havent broke down and paid the big bucks for a sat dish that would work when anchored. have you bought one? if so which?

I haven't either, and I'm not going to.

I don't need to watch tv that much. If I'm anchored out , I'm not watching tv.

[g36]

no you dont need a digital box if you have a hd set. the only reason i installed one is because the tuner in my hd set sucked and i am using the little digital box tuner because it is a better tuner than what is in my set, it does not out put a digital signal. i feed the tv through the video out on the box and it is great. but not hd. but on a 20" screen the pic is great. if it were a 50" dlp like at home i would see a difference but on the boat i just want to have a clear signal that will stay locked on when watching. my other set on the boat works great with no box hooked up to the same antenna. the tuner in this set is better(more sensitive)

[Peter]

opps

[Peter]

I have satellite TV [direct TV] at my slip. The dish is mounted on the dock, the converter box and dish provided by the satellite company [I did the installation myself, with little trouble].

Have a standard television cable running from the dish to a connection installed by the a.c. inlet in my aft cockpit.. Wiring then continues to the main salon where the converter is installed. Used my home address as the address to the satellite company, Service turned off in the winter, restarted in the spring. Standard satellite TV contract.

Here is a suggestion; each satellite dish has 2 cable ports. It costs three or four dollars per month for another converter box [equivalent to a second converter box, in another room at your home]. The second converter box can be given to a dock mate, then cable run from the second port of the satellite dish to that boat, then you can split the cost of the rental [assuming your trust the guy, however if he is a Trojan owner, then no problem]

Of course, it means signing a stupid contract for what ever length of time that is, however you can have whatever type of package you like, [ HBO, on demand, Playboy channel? or the upcoming all boating, all bikini, Trojan channel.]

We have a flat screen television on top of the apartment sized refrigerator I installed last year, as well as a television in the main stateroom. Only one converter box, in the galley. Interestingly, by bouncing the remote signal, off the glass sliding doors to the main salon, when in the forward state room with the door open, can change the channel in the forward state room.

I hardly ever watch the thing, but it keeps the kids happy.

[g36]

sounds like you got a setup thats working for you. i had also tried this antenna earlier in my quest for an antenna also but found it wasnt so good for me on the hook. since you are constantly moving around. since your boat is on land you may not have noticed or it may be that your area has very good signal strength but the fact that it is not a true omnidirectional and that you would need to adjust the antenna postion might be a problem. the description on the antenna says "330° rotation and 12 reception directions". like i say it may not be a problem for you there but it was for me where i live. i am not trying to interfere with your plan i just thought i would tell you my experience.